Hinn Ch. 57-59

Shaking her head, Emma replied, "Clever Hinn. You believe those statements, I can tell." She sighed. "You are not completely incorrect, nor am I completely a liar. While there are many goals, many desires you might satiate, and some are of greater interest or likelihood, I did not expect you to do so tonight. I would be delighted if some were, of course, but I wasn't counting on that.

"I was hoping to open a dialogue, to starting a new relationship, a new bridge between Jann and Hinn, something that might strengthen both. And yes, from your earlier comments, you could consider it an attempt of a conscious symbiote to find a new partner to work with."

"That's a fair correction -- in an ideal case, I can see something like the divine we've discussed as being in more of a symbiotic relationship than a predatory one. I also agree neither of us desires to stop the dialogue at this point -- I know I do not, and your last statement rings more true to me than some of your earlier ones. I am not Jann, of course - I do not taste truth as it happens, but I have a reasonably accurate bullshit detector I have learned to trust that has only grown more acute of late.

"If I may impose a little, in the interest of cutting to the chase, were you to prioritize your desires for our relationship, what would be the topmost few?"

Emma brought a finger up to her lips, tapping them in thought. A minute passed before she lowered the digit, saying, "That was very deftly done, Ray, if perhaps a little cruel." Waving aside his interruption, she continued, "No, please, let me answer, because you're not wrong -- I would tend to dance around my desires rather than address them directly.

"In the ideal case, I would like to share problems and solutions with you daily, if not more frequently. I would prefer for you to become a source of power for myself and not others like myself, to the point I am very willing to try granting you as many boons as are required for that. Lastly, I would like to become personally closer with you, in several intimate ways -- friend, lover, or partner, for instance, as unlikely as that may have become."

Nodding, Ray replied, "First, thank you for your honest consideration. Secondly, my apologies, Emma. I didn't intend to hurt you, you've been nothing but pleasant, albeit somewhat manipulative. I realize I really shouldn't be throwing stones -- I've been working at manipulating the discussion as well. We both have our requirements, our needs and desires. To me it seems only natural that we'd both be striving to ensure ours are met as best as they could in this situation.

"I find your mind impressive, your attitude amusing, and I do appreciate your openness in this potentially hazardous situation. I don't know why we couldn't become friends at this point, all else being equal, but that'll require more trust from both of us, probably more than either of us is willing to extend at this point. Not to say that might not happen in time, just I don't see it as happening right now.

"As to becoming a worshipper of yours, as I understand it? Please realize that I was quite agnostic until very recently, before learning of this additional complexity of the world we share. I don't know that I'd make a good believer, frankly. Let me also admit that I'm considering this mostly from a human background -- while I do have a lot of knowledge from Hinn, my human experience is in many ways still the driving force in my personality. If there are other ways we might work together that you'd benefit from, I'm certainly open to discussing them, but that's just how I see myself currently.

"And finally, if you have problems I can assist with that are more efficient for me to address, please let me know. I won't promise that I will solve them for you, but I do promise I will consider them."

As Emma began to reply, asking, "Agnostic? What do you mean by...", her head suddenly snapped to the side. Ray almost thought she'd gone pale for a second -- her body language was shocked and appalled even as her skin tone remained unchanged. He heard it then -- the sound of battle, of fists and feet colliding with flesh, with sharp objects parting unwilling flesh.

Emma howled, "NO!" Her voice echoed widely, penetrating distance without damaging those that heard her. Ray could feel two clots of perceptions lock onto each other, one trying to push towards Emma and himself, another struggling to keep them away.

Unsure how best to defend himself, and not wanting simply to scour away the Jann with raw destruction such as Tauriz had suggested, Ray tapped into his ladies' expertise and Hinn as a whole. After a subjective lifetime of research through millennia of expertise and experimentation, in the next hearbeat he brought up a field around himself. He recalled a technique that defeated the will of those that attempted to attack him, burning away the current instance of their offensive intent with the flames of samum. He felt the drain on his focus as the field immediately flared, preventing some not-small number of beings from trying to harm him.

Dhakira poked at his perceptions, refocusing Ray's attention onto a small number of perceiving beings that were different from the rest, and yet not like Emma, nor like himself. Burning away the distance between them, he drew them to himself, extending his defensive field to protect Emma from them as well.

He was both surprised and not to find five Jinn appear nearby. They froze for a split second before jerking and flinching, even as Ray's defenses flared as it turned the Jinn's nearly instinctual assaults on Emma and himself into nothingness.

Emma blinked before her face grew thunderous. Her voice stretched across all the Jann present, "JANN! Defend me! There are Jinn here, and they are attempting to attack both myself and my guest! This cannot be allowed!"

Jann stopped fighting Jann immediately, even as the Jinn attempted to flee. Ray brought samum to bear on their efforts, scorching each technique away from the face of reality just as each came into being. He felt it when the Jinn ceased trying to flee, instead deciding to target themselves.

Ray initially misread that change, and one Jinn did manage to destroy herself before he was able to prevent the others' suicidal efforts. Jann swarmed forward, some quickly interposing themselves between Ray, Emma, and the Jinn, others assaulting the Jinn with physical and magical violence. Ray felt some of the Jann trying to find a way to attack him, as well, but the field he'd created and held worked its literal magic, causing all such attacks to fail.

Two of the Jinn were slain at the hands of the enraged Jann before a popping noise sounded, with Tauriz arriving with Amber and the squad backing her up. Ray instinctively extended the field to defend them, feeling his will strain at the effort, even as Tauriz wrapped up the remaining Jinn, withdrawing the fires of time from them. Her technique both rendered them immune to assault and prevented their every potential action until she allowed them to relax back in the warmth of the present.

The Jann milled around, some still struggling to find a way to attack, others relaxing, still others realizing the pain of their wounds. Kendis waved Kat forward in a peculiar way, and she moved forward, quickly approaching a Jann who had just dropped to his knees as his blood continued to spurt from a deep slice along the inside of his thigh. Tugging a glittering coin out, she also dropped to her knees before reaching for the wound. The Jann's instinctive desire to attack her stretched Ray further as it was countered, allowing her to run the disk-shaped jewel along the wound. Her action sealed the rent flesh, preventing him from bleeding out.

Emma howled, "Enough! Jann, cease! The Jinn are slain or captured, and these humans and Hinn are here to assist. Let them help you, if they offer. Bring the wounded Jann here, we will bring them back to where they were before this... this affront!"

In a more normal voice, she addressed Ray. "We thank you, Hinn -- your assistance was priceless."

"As a guest, how could I not assist?" Ray countered. "It is only the host's due."